THE STUDY OF MANKIND

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5312, 25 June 1904, Page 16

THE STUDY OF MANKIND

Dr Weslermarck, lecturer on sociology nt the University of j. inland, Helsingfors, has been giving his views of Woman iii Early Civilisation. Dr Wostermarck’s paper was devoted in the main to the thesis that most of the views commonly held with regard to the position of women among the lower and loss civilised races of mankind are cither wholly without foundation or reqnh-e considerable modification before they can bo accepted. It was not true, for example, as he showed by citing evidence regarding a large number of aboriginal peoples, that woman occupies generally a condition of absolute slavery. Where the subjection seemed most complete it was generally restrained by custom and tribal usage, and often bv superstitiou. It has been widely asserted that when woman cannot contribute materially to the support of the family she is the more hardly used; but examination proves that there is no such general rule. Even her hard toil in lands where she is made a beast of burden had sometimes its compensations in conferring* rights of property and authority. Gent? rally it was assumed that polygamy was an, injustice and degradation to the weaker sex; but among the lower races women were often in favour of polygamy; and the lecturer quoted a Moorish lady, who thought English husbands, must be ‘Very stingy’’ to support only one wife. All tilings considered, it was open to question whether polygamy was not favourable to the interests of the wives under savage conditions. Dr Westennarck showed also that the so-called purchase of wives hy cattle, as among South African natives, did not reduce the women, as was frequently asserted, to tho position of chattels, but was recognised as no more than compensation for the loss .of her services to her family. Strange to say, it cannot be asserted that the more advanced society is in civilisation the better women arc treated. In some of the most primitive communities, such as those of the Andaman Islands, women are regarded with peculiar respect; while in some countries further developed, such ns China and tho Moslem nations, that respect was wanting. It has to be confessed also that the great religions of the world have not seldom acted adversely towards the rights of women. In some woman wes treated as unclean, and the Mahometan people refused to their wives and daughters the right ordinarily to enter Die mosque. The nett result of a general survey of nations and races was that the position of woman in the earlier stages of civilisation was better than had usually been believed.